Winter time in the Lake Texoma area normally drops our lake’s water temperature into the forties and it also positions fish on deep water structure˳ While some days can be highlighted with good numbers and size of smallmouth, largemouth or striper, many are sluggish˳ For those anglers looking to remedy the slower action during our winter months, there are a few options not too far away˳
If you are an avid fisherman or woman and haven’t experienced one of the warm water power plant lakes, you are missing out on some remarkable winter time bass fishing˳ Lakes Welsh and Monticello, located a couple of hours east of the Lake Texoma area along Interstate 30, offer a unique change to typical winter fishing patterns˳ As most lakes are slowing down for the months of December and January, the largemouth bass on Welsh and Monticello are in prime pre-spawn and spawning modes˳
Both of these East Texas lakes are only one to two thousand acres in size and are utilized in the cooling of coal burning power plants located on their banks˳ Because of the small size and continuous inflow of warm water, these lakes remain in the 60-80 degree range throughout the winter˳ Lakes Welch and Monticello are excellent for numbers of fish, but are also famous for big bass as each has once held the Texas state record˳
Lake Welsh, built in 1976, is a 1,200 acre reservoir located just south of Mt˳ Pleasant, TX˳ Anglers will find a multitude of fishing options as the lake has plenty of flooded timber and hydrilla and milfoil aquatic grasses˳ Some of the best winter fishing is to target both pre-spawn and spawning bass by throwing weight-less soft plastics in and around the edges of the flooded grass˳ The lake record largemouth bass, caught in December of 1983, is a hefty 15˳23 pound fish˳ Welsh is an 18 inch minimum lake for all species of bass and is accessible by the one public boat ramp built on its west shore˳
Lake Monticello, a 2,000 acre impoundment, was built in 1972 and is located just south of Interstate 30 between the towns of Mt˳ Vernon and Mt˳ Pleasant, TX˳ This lake is responsible for the lunker bass boom that began in the early ’80’s˳ Its lake record bass (14˳90 pounds), caught in February of 1980, broke the previous Texas state record that was held for 37 years˳ When word of the fourteen pound largemouth spread throughout the state, Lake Monticello became one of the premier bass lakes in the southwest˳
This East Texas Lake also has a variety of cover for anglers to fish including flooded timber, hydrilla and lily-pads˳ Some of the best winter time bass fishing is located on the northern end of the lake˳ Anglers can pursue spawning fish with soft plastics and spinner-baits in and around the dead lily-pad stems found in its two northern creeks˳ Another area to fish is just outside the hot water discharge˳ Carolina rigs and crank-baits work well on schooling fish that are positioned in the current˳ Lake Monticello has a 14 to 21 inch slot limit for bass that offers a great opportunity to catch multiple four to five pound fish˳
The best time to plan a trip to these lakes is during the week as most weekends play host tournaments during the winter months˳ If you have never been to a power plant lake, use extreme caution when boating in the early morning hours as a thick fog will cover the entire surface˳ Visibility will only be a few feet until the sun warms the surrounding air˳
Normally the coldest days of winter are the best on these power plant lakes˳ Dress in layers for warmth but also remember that the surface of the lake will be warmer than the adjacent land˳ If your hands or fingers get numb from the cold, just stick them in the water to heat up˳
Source by https://ezinearticles˳com/?Power-Plant-Lakes-in-Texas&id=4900497
